Program Development Seven programming phases Define the Problem

Program Development Seven programming phases: Define the Problem Outline the Solution Develop the Outline into an Algorithm Test the Algorithm for Correctness Code the Algorithm in a specific language Run the program on the computer Document and maintain the program

• Define the Problem: – May be the most difficult phase – Users may not be able to articulate their needs well – User needs may be changing frequently – Programmers may have to learn the user’s functional job tasks – Failure to understand the problem is the major cause of most project failures – If this is not correct – the rest of the project cannot be correct

• Outline the Solution: – Plan the high-order steps that the program will take – Walk through the logic before coding by deskchecking the logic

• Develop the Outline into an Algorithm: – Use tools such as flowcharts and pseudocode – Flowchart: a pictorial representation of the logic steps – Pseudocode: English-like representation of the logic

• Test the Algorithm for Correctness: – Walk through the logic before coding by deskchecking the logic – Make corrections to the Flowchart/Pseudocode as needed • Testing the program: – Execute it with sample data and check results – Identify logic errors and correct them – Choose test data carefully to exercise all branches of the logic

• Code the algorithm in a specific language: – Select the programming language – Write the instructions • Using software to translate the program into machine language: – Programmers write instructions in English-like high-level languages – Compilers or interpreters change the programs into low-level machine language that can be executed – Syntax errors are identified by the compiler or interpreter

• Run the program on the computer: – Test for Syntax errors (when compiling) – Test for logic errors by using selected data

• Putting the program into production – Do this after testing is complete and all known errors have been corrected – May require coordination with other related activities or software

• Document and maintain the program: – Create user documentation – Create technical documentation – Create documentation library – Monitor processing and outputs